Have you Ever Put Something Off — And Not Known Why?

[foakes]

For me, it was my small upstairs reel shop.  

Since transitioning earlier this year to just working on DAM Quick, Penn, ABU/Zebco Cardinals, and Mitchell spinning reels — it was difficult to figure out how to organize my small upstairs shop for these types of reels.

Friday morning — it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Just put in model number order the DQ, Penn, and Cardinal reels & parts — forget about the Mitchell's.

While I work on maybe 20 Mitchell's a year — I have plenty of new parts for those already in bins — so why should I store a few hundred reels and a few hundred spools also?  Makes no sense.

So I removed all of the Mitchell reels and spools from every nook & cranny — and then organized them in bins — to get rid of them as a lot.  Moved them to the outer shop — along with the excess DAM Quick, Penn, and other reels in boxes.

Basically, the only Mitchell's I am keeping are the ultralight 308/309/408/409 — because I have a good demand for those.

So now, the small upstairs shop is organized better, and the Mitchell reels and spools are ready for me to get rid of.

338 Mitchell spools & 301 Mitchell reels + some extra stuff.

It feels better to get this load out of the small shop.

Took (3) days of hard, hot work — but it is more organized now.  I guess I just needed to figure out what was really needed — along with what the priorities actually are — based on the current demand.

Things were not balanced — they are more so now.

Best,

Fred

[jgp12000]

The Holy Grail of Mitchell's...

[Gobi King]

Fred, awesome work on organization, every inch is used. all the way to the ceiling

Spinning reels - after much trial and error, I started using those flat under bed storage totes to keep my spinning reels too. I layer deep.

What are you black plastic storage things high on top of the shelves?

[foakes]

Fred, awesome work on organization, every inch is used. all the way to the ceiling

Spinning reels - after much trial and error, I started using those flat under bed storage totes to keep my spinning reels too. I layer deep.

What are you black plastic storage things high on top of the shelves?

After decades of trying most systems of organization — for me, the (3) most useful things are —

1) Use of all the vertical space possible.  My upstairs inside shop for all seasons is only 10' X 11'.  It has a 8' X 3'  
   bench on one side — and a complete shelf system on the opposite wall that I shot together when building the
   shop initially.  I built these around using 28 quart plastic bins, Melamine shelves, and a nice Birch face-frame &
   Birch cabinet doors with Blum hinges.  However, this is a working shop, not a showroom — so I removed all of
   the doors and hinges for quick visual and practical access to this storage.   Put in a couple of larger dual pane
   windows, a ceiling fan, a new wooden floor, lighting, and a glass entry door.

2) All bins, containers, and parts organizers must be labeled clearly, with the ability to access them without any
   need to move any other containers.  Numbers and labels are key.  Quick, easy access — in & out.

3) Minimal use of drawers and cabinets.  If I can't see it easily — I forget it is there.  If I haven't used a tool or
   something for the last year — it goes into one of the outer shops in the barn.  Drawers and the backs of      
   cabinets are where tools and parts go to die.  So there is no wasted space — and each part or tool must
   earn its keep & place.

The black containers are just for storage of around 100 spinning reels that are special to me, and/or for sale.  These are all in very good to excellent condition — and ready to fish.  Just out of the way — but labeled and accessible.

Got a couple of cases of Daiwas, couple of Penns, couple of Cardinals, couple of DQ's, plus Mitchell's.

Best, Fred

[Gobi King]

Those reels are well packed, they look like they are brand new. Maybe you can post about details of a chosen few spinning reels on a different post.

Shallow wrap around floor to ceiling storage, nice.

[Mjg378]

Wow!   I like your organizational skills!! 
Mike

[philaroman]

let's petition Webster's to have Fred's photo in the definition of fastidious